Smart - Cognac, Beer, Red Wine or Soft Drinks

This article is about Cognac in Hong Kong. Cognac is a French liquor that has a long history of being served at wedding banquets. Drinking was considered essential components of every major ceremony; some of the major events include, birth, marriage, death, and other major events in the Chinese calendar. Cognac was seen as a symbol of prestige, status, and to show people how much money you have or how sophisticated you are. The use of cognac in Hong Kong has become one of the common markers that Hong Kong residents use to distinguish themselves from Chinese in other localities. They think of it as being symbolic of their greater affluence and worldly sophistication than their components in China.

In Hong Kong they have a normative code on drinking. (1) Drinking is a social activity in the company of others; it is not to be consumed alone. (2) Drinking is a blessing and a pleasure when consumed in moderation. (3) Drinking etiquette is governed by social hierarchy. If an elder has not raised his/her glass to drink, nobody younger or of junior rank should do so. (4) Snacks and meals should accompany drinking.

In the beginning of the article the author states that Chinese are relatively free of alcoholism, forms of alcohol abuse, and the proportion of who are regular consumers of alcohol are very low. To me it seems that they promote drinking and see it as sociably acceptable to drink, but has a few limitations. For example: you can get drunk, but not drunk enough that you make a fool of yourself. I can’t see how the author can justify the Chinese and say that they don’t have any alcohol problems. Alcohol is much easier to obtain in China (supermarkets, corner stores, and retail outlets) than here in Canada and we have so many problems with regards to alcohol. I think that they don’t want to admit that they have a problem and be compared to other countries that have a high rate of alcoholism.